


Cry For Help

by Toshua



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Camping, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 13:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/698718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toshua/pseuds/Toshua
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The guys go camping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cry For Help

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted in 852 Prospect Place, 1999

"What's so funny, Simon? Jims voice was hushed in deference to his sleeping partner."

Simon puffed on his cigar. "Nothing, nothing." But he was still grinning. His eyes twinkled at his detective.

"You've been acting like the cat who swallowed the canary all evening." He pulled the stick from the flame, studied the marshmallows, then popped the first one in his mouth, inhaling quickly as the hot sugar stung. Then he worked the second one off and chewed it slower. "Your heartrate spiked a moment ago, so did your breathing. So, whats on your mind?"

"Just watching you. Never thought Id see the day Jim Ellison is so comfortable with another person. Howd that happen, anyway?"

Jim licked his fingers, then dropped the freshly washed hand back to Blairs hair, touching lightly. He shrugged. 

"Its hard to explain. We complete each other, on a lot of levels. Hed probably tell you a lot of it is a Sentinel and Shaman pairing, a bond needed to protect both of us. But its a lot deeper than that, Simon. When he is near, safe, content... then so am I." Jim shrugged again. "Without sounding like a movie track, hes the other half of the coin that makes me who I am."

The subject of their conversation rolled over, and Jims hand fell to the warm exposed neck. Eyes closed, Sandburg snagged the hand and brought the fingers to his lips. He sniffed, and a pink tongue licked across a thumb pad. 

"Umm, marshmallow. Wheres mine?" The eyes never opened.

"Hang on, Chief. Give me a minute." Jim rescued his hand and speared two more marshmallows before returning the stick to the flames. He was aware of his two friends, as well as the forest they were nestled in, watching him. It had been a good day. They'd hiked a few miles from the main road through the national forest, far beyond the logging spikes, beyond the dozer tracks that crisscrossed the area. They finally settled on a moss covered spot near a small stream, surrounded by old growth forest that reached high into the mostly cloudy sky. The stream had furnished a healthy rainbow trout for dinner, and an alpine meadow a variety of safe tubers and greens. Blair had found various mushrooms scattered among rotting trunks. The hiking, fishing and setting up camp left the three men pleasantly tired. Darkness had fallen and the night sounds filled the air, replacing the bird calls that had accompanied them during the daylight hours.

"What do you hear?" Blair whispered, looking up at Jim. The light from the campfire caught the almost fully dilated pupils as the sentinel looked into the darkness.

Jim pulled the stick from the fire, dangled a crispy, melted marshmallow over the reclining figure's mouth. Blair pulled it off the stick and popped it into his mouth. Ellison took the second one before he answered the younger mans question. 

"The fire, frogs, crickets, a snake sliding over the ground, leaves rustling, water running in the stream." His voice dropped softer and he closed his eyes, letting his hearing run, knowing that his Guide was there if needed. "Your heartbeat, Simon's." He tipped his head, going deeper into the forest, letting go of the controls so vital in the city. "Fish striking at insects on the surface of the stream, bubbles popping, a large animal lumbering along the rocks, an owl's wings." Jims voice trailed off.

"Come on back, Jim." Blair whispered, knowing that anything any louder would overpower the man. "Focus on my voice. Listen to my heart. Come back, Jim." Blair sat up, the sleeping bag falling from his shoulders as he reached for his partner. One hand on the larger mans shoulder, one hand on his face, Blair whispered Jims name over and over, coaxing him back to reality.

Simon watched the scene unfold, fascinated at the connection between the sentinel and guide and how easy it was for Blair to touch his partner. Most men could not lower their barriers enough to touch each other like they did, especially in front of someone else, even a close friend. But neither one hesitated where the other one was concerned, regardless of their surroundings. Hed only seen the connection between them once or twice; a golden cord which pulled them together in an extreme moment of danger. When that happened, either man would risk his life to save the other, without any consideration to the danger. Hed seen Jim throw himself at Blair, knocking the grad student to the ground, rolling his body over his Guide as a shield. Hed heard about their first meeting, and how Blair had knocked the larger man to the ground as a garbage truck passed over both of them.

Jims eyes blinked and he focused on the younger man. "Chief."

"Right here. Whered you go?" He settled back on his heels, one hand resting on Jims outstretched leg.

"Crying. I heard crying." Jim scrambled to his feet then lifted Blair to his feet with a quick tug on his arm. "Come on." He snagged his coat and took off into the woods at a dead run. Blair was right behind him, yelling over his shoulder.

"Grab a flashlight and follow us, Simon." Then he disappeared into the darkness behind the sentinel.

Simon didn't have a choice. He ducked back into his tent and grabbed a lantern, spared the fire a glance and decided it would be okay and followed the team. He listened to their running footsteps as he tried to follow their tracks with the bobbing light.

Jim came to a halt after hearing Blair stumble in the darkness. He turned around and picked the younger man up, tucking the cold hand into his belt. He kept forgetting his guide could not see in the dark like he could, but would blindly follow him, depending on the sentinel to keep him from harm. He adjusted his pace to his smaller partners and jogged into the darkness again.

"What was crying, Jim? A child?" Blairs breathless voice broke his single-minded concentration.

"I'm not sure whether it was a child or a woman. But we're getting closer." Jim slowed, finally stopping completely, eyes closed as he tried to focus on the sound that was drawing him into the forest. He was aware of Blair panting noisily next to him, the guide's heart pounding in his chest. He heard Simon stumble and curse, not too far behind him. Then he heard the mewing again, like a child on its last breath, too tired to continue. It was close, down low, and he opened his sense of smell, hoping to find something. Faintly, ghosting along on the evening whispers of wind, he smelled blood. His nose wrinkled. The scent wasn't what he associated with human blood.

Blair wished for a flashlight, wished for the sentinels eyesight, even a match, anything to cut the darkness under the tall trees. The moon was peeking out occasionally, clouds racing across the new moon sliver. The faint light didn't help at all. Jim was an inky shadow barely discernible against the trunks of the ancient hemlocks. He slipped his hand free of the belt loop and wrapped it firmly around Jims arm.

"What is it?" He whispered into the darkness.

"I smell blood, really faint. Its this way." Jim took Blairs hand, leading him in the darkness for another 50 or 75 feet before stopping again. A low groan escaped his throat. "Oh, no." He dropped to his knees in front of a tan bundle of fur.

"What is it?" Blair looked over Jim's shoulder then came around and knelt next to the animal. All he could see was the general shape of a large animal.

"It's a cougar. Shes caught in a trap." Jim rubbed his hand down the thick fur. His sensitive touch felt a heart barely beating, lungs moving with each slight breath. His fingers also felt the swollen teats of a nursing mother. "She's still alive." His hands continued down the body, finally resting on the hind leg covered with dried blood, the jaws of a steel trap buried deep into the muscle and fur. Jim's hand followed the curve of the trap and found the release, pushing it so that the jaws sprang open and away from the leg. Jim lifted the bloody leg carefully. "At least its not broken."

Simon arrived with his light and groaned when he saw what his detective was holding. "Jim, if that cat wakes up its going to tear you apart." But he knelt closer, allowing Blair to see the damaged, bloody leg for the first time. 

Blair swallowed hard, then one hand stroked the tawny side. "How could anybody do something like this?" His fingers dug into the thick fur, then followed the curve of the ribs to her stomach. "Jim, she's got kittens around here somewhere. She's nursing."

"I know." Jim peeled out of his jacket. "Give me your knife, Chief." He proceeded to take the pocket knife and cut the heavy lining out of his coat. "Simon, you and Blair take the light and find her lair. It's close, I could hear the kittens until a few minutes ago. Look for a hollowed log or a covered depression under a fallen tree. It can't be more then 5-10 feet away. If you find it and the kittens will let you, bring them to her." As he talked he bound the two front legs securely. Then he started wrapping the trap chewed hind leg. "And watch out for more traps. Whoever set this one knew she had kittens close."

As soon as Simon and Blair moved away, Jim finished the temporary bandaging job, then bound the two hind legs together. He stroked the big cats face, gentle fingers curving over the ears and down the long neck. He checked her ribs, ran gentle hands down her spine and front legs, looking for other injuries. He was working on instinct, knowing the fangs could rip open any flesh she could grab as soon as she woke up, if she woke up. He guessed she had been in the trap for a day, maybe two, but not long enough for starvation to set in. Part of his mind heard his friends as they thrashed around in the darkness, talking to each other and kneeling to check under logs, trees and jumbled boulders. The other part was listening to the cat, listening for signs she was waking. His hands found the chain that held the trap, ripped it from the ground and he tossed it aside. It could be used as evidence against the poacher, if they found him.

"Simon, here's another trap. Blair's voice, full of disgust, followed by a loud SNAP as he threw it. "I can't believe people are still doing this."

"I know." They fell silent and then Jim heard Simon again. "Found it, Sandburg. Get over here."

Jim felt the cat's heartbeat get stronger and he leaned closer to her nose, breathing into the wet flaring nostrils, then humming to her. It wasn't a purr, but it wasn't threatening either. 

"It's going to be all right, you'll see. We found your babies. Youre going to be fine." How does someone comfort a wild, injured creature? Especially one that could tear apart the human trying to help? He hummed again. One ear flickered toward the sound.

Simon appeared, Jim's coat cradled in his arms, Sandburg carrying the light. "They don't even have their eyes open yet. How young does that make them?" He knelt on the rough leaf covered ground and uncovered 4 tiny bodies, snuggled in the basket the coat made. They were crying, mouths opening, alternately mewing and hissing, tiny feet trying to find purchase on the fabric, each other.

"Less than 6 weeks." Jim lifted a tiny body by the cuff of the neck and placed it next to its mother. The kitten turned blindly toward the warm body, found a nipple and started suckling contentedly. It was soon joined by three more.

The three men watched the kittens for a moment before Blair broke the silence. "Now what?" He stroked the cougars head, hand scratching the tufted ears. "We can't leave her out in the open like this."

Jim watched his partner pat the cat, very aware if she was awake, she would have growled or jerked away from the human's touch. 

"She's going to be mad when she wakes up, Chief. Maybe youd better sit back." He watched his guide a moment longer. "On the other hand - Chief, do you have any of those herbs you like to make teas with on you?"

Blair reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a tiny ziplock bag which contained an assortment of teabags. He tossed it to Jim, who opened it and dumped them on the ground. Sandburg watched as Jim sniffed each one, then pulled one apart, dumping the contents in his hand. He smelled the leaves again and nodded.

"Give me your hand, Chief. You too, Simon." He ground the leaves in his palm to a powder, sprinkled a little bit into each mans hand. "Rub your palms together, grind it into your skin." Jim shifted over to the cougar, rubbed the nostrils with the powder, then stroked each kitten with a tea coated hand.

"I don't get it." Simon watched the detective closely as Jim rubbed his hand over the bandaged leg.

"I do." Blair smelled his hands. The tea had been a willow bark, mint combination, not really strong, just musky smelling. "Now we all smell the same to her. She won't reject her kittens because of a different scent. And she might leave the bandage on her leg alone for a little while." 

"She might, but I doubt it." Jim untied the front legs, then the back. "Move it, guys. She's almost conscious." He pushed them away from the clearing to a fallen tree, turning out the light as he went. They knelt behind the tree and Jim peered around, his superior night vision allowing him to see the moment the cougar's eyes opened. He watched as she raised her head, and looked around, then saw and felt the tiny balls of fur that were either still nursing or curled up next to her. She sat part way up, sniffing each kitten and licking each one. Jim could hear her purr. Then she sniffed her leg, long pink tongue feeling the bandage which covered it. She looked around, a growl rumbling deep in her throat.

She lurched awkwardly to her feet, sending the kittens tumbling as she looked around, nose sniffing frantically.

Jim stopped Sandburg's restless movement with a hand on his arm, whispered in one curl covered ear. "We're downwind of her. She hasn't smelled us yet. Stay still."

She limped around for a moment, smelling the ground, growling. Then she picked up one crying kitten by the head and carried it back to their tiny lair. She limped badly, the right hind leg almost not touching the ground as she made four separate trips to retrieve each kitten.

Jim watched until she quit moving around then touched his friend's arm, pointed back toward their camp, then led them silently away. They had almost reached the tent site before Blair broke the silence.

"How is she going to hunt? She'll starve before that leg heals."

"Survival of the fittest, Chief. If the leg isn't too bad and does'nt get infected, she might heal enough to hunt before she starves." Jim placed a hand on Blair's neck, under the curls, squeezing gently.

"Ah, Jim, that sucks. If she dies, so will the kittens."

"We did the best we could, Chief. We saved her from the trap, and the leg's not broken. If shes lucky, shell find a nest of field mice or eggs from a bird that nested too close to the ground."

"That still sucks."

"It isn't always easy to let life run its course, Sandburg." Simon added from the darkness. "If it was, you wouldn't need cops," he glanced at Jim, "or Sentinels."

The fire had burnt down to a pile of glowing coals, and Jim tossed a log on it, causing sparks to rise high into the sky. The dry bark caught and he watched the flame eat its way up the branch for a moment.

"Well, I'm going to turn in. See you guys in the morning." Simon crawled into his tent, pulled the flap down over the entrance and zipped it closed.

"Night, Simon." Blair flopped down on the log again, watching Jim watch the flames. "Penny for your thoughts."

Jim pulled the younger man into his arms, kissed a temple absently. "Just wondering. Wondering what the possibilities would be that we would be hiking where a cougar gets caught in a trap. Wondering what would have happened if I hadn't heard the kittens. Wondering if anybody else would have found her." Jims face was highlighted by the flickering flames but his eyes were focused on some far distance. "Wondering if it might have been more humane to put a bullet between her eyes and take the kittens to a zoo."

Blair sighed, slid off the log, out from under Jim's arm. He dropped his head back so it lay on the partially rotten wood, looking up into the sky that he couldn't see. "Zoos are never humane, man. Cages and bars. Being locked up, never free."

Jim slid off the log and settled next to his partner. "The new zoos aren't that way, Chief. Natural habitat, areas to roam." He copied the younger mans slouch against the log.

"Still a cage, Jim. No matter how you paint it. Could you handle it?"

Jim shook his head. "No." 

"Neither could I."

They were silent for a moment, both men looking into the cloudy sky, lost in their thoughts. Finally, Jim nudged his partner. "Come on, Chief. Lets get some sleep."

* * *

Blair turned over in the sleeping bag, some noise disturbing his sleep. He finally pried open one eye and focused in the almost dawn light. His partner was already dressed and was tying his shoes. Blair dropped his head to the pillow. "Jim, what are you doing? Its not even dawn yet," he groaned. 

"Shhhh. Go back to sleep. Im going hunting."

Blair folded the pillow, and rolled over on his stomach, tucking the pillow under his chin, brushed his hair from his face. "For what?"

"Whatever I can find. Ill be back before the sun clears the horizon." He kissed the lush lips for a second, promising more later. He unzipped the tent, throwing the flap open and letting the crisp morning air flow into the dome. Then he was gone, his footsteps almost silent.

Blair looked through the entrance of the tent. He pulled the sleeping bag tighter over his shoulder, then reached out and grabbed Jims half as well, flipping it over him. He settled back down, still facing the entrance. His mind puzzled over Jim's actions as sleep filtered back in. Hunting?

* * *

Jim stood near the lair of the cougar, ears turned to the animal sounds within. He counted 5 heartbeats, 5 sets of noisy breathing and was satisfied all was right with the small family. He slipped back into the forest, his mind settling on a plan of action. While his partner had lain sleeping next to him in the small tent, he'd worried over the big cat and family. Blair was right; she would have a hard time feeding herself while she was injured. Regardless of his survival of the fittest statement, he couldn't deny his feelings; that there was something that he could do to help. 

Which led to him listening carefully to the small wildlife in the area, armed with a knife, several stones perfect for throwing, and a spear. The thin layer of civilization dissolved, and the part of him that was a Chopec warrior surfaced as he sank into the hunt.

An hour later, Jim knelt next to the cougar's lair again. He'd stripped off the remains of his coat to carry the small offering of game for the injured feline. He'd found a field mouse's nest containing a dozen squeaking baby mice. He'd taken all of them and the mother as well.

A burrow under an overturned tree had contained a chipmunk nest and he'd raided it. Then he'd flushed a rabbit and brought it down with a well thrown rock. He untied the coat sleeves and ran his hands over each animal, making sure they were still alive. The cougar would not eat something it did not kill. His hands were also covered with various juices from plants he'd crushed against them to disguise his scent. He hoped it would be enough. A quick slash with his knife hamstrung the rabbit. Then he placed the rabbit closest to the lair, placing it so the scent of fresh blood would catch the cougar's attention. The mice and chipmunks were partially buried under enough rocks that they couldn't escape, but the cougar could dig them out. Further from the lair, he placed several large leaves in a depression he'd dug in the ground and filled the leaves with water from his canteen. Satisfied he'd done everything within his power to feed the mother cat, he retreated back to the log he'd watched from the night before.

* * *

Blair rolled over and blinked. Light poured into the tent which was empty and silent. He rubbed his eyes, pulling hair from his face and squinted out of the open tent flap at the long shadows cast by the morning sun. The fire had been out for hours and no sounds leaked from the other tent. He tossed the sleeping bags off and reached for his clothes and glasses. 

By the time he was dressed, Simon had also stirred and crawled clear of his tent. He threw a few logs into the fire ring and some pine cones, then added a lit match. The fire caught the dry fuel and soon was dancing warmly. Blair crawled from the tent, flopped down on the nearest log seat and brushed his hair into a ponytail.

"Morning. Wheres Jim?" Simon finished scooping grounds into the tin coffee pot and placed it next to the fire.

"He left before daylight. Said he was going hunting."

"Hunting?" Simon pulled a cigar from the pocket of his fishing vest. "What's to hunt in this area thats in season?"

Blair shrugged. "He said he'd be back by the time the sun cleared the horizon." He squinted at the bright orb. "I think he's late."

Simon handed the younger man a coffee mug, then settled down on a camp chair. "Think he's in trouble?"

Blair closed his eyes, smelling the steaming brew. Then he looked up at Simon. Deliberately leaving his face turned toward the police captain, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and became absolutely still. He seemed to look into himself for a long moment, not even breathing. Then he shook his head. "No, he's fine."

Simon shook his head. "How do you know? I've seen the connection between the two of you a couple of times and Im always awed by it."

Blair shook his head with a shrug. "It's a feeling of calm. I guess that's the best way to describe it. If something were wrong, I'd find pain or anger instead. Then I have to respond, find him, fix whatever is wrong." He shook his head again. "When Inchaca died, Jim said that his passing the way of the Shaman to me was only affirming what I already was to Jim. But sometimes I think it's more than that. I think sometimes he passed on a link, or a gift of some type, that is connected to Jim."

Simon listened to the young man as he tried to put the foreign concepts into words. Blair's voice had dropped to the timbre Simon associated with the guide talking to his sentinel, as he helped him focus his senses on something nobody else knew was there.

"Can you find him?"

Blair closed his eyes again, then nodded. He grabbed for his jacket and ever present backpack. "You coming?" Blair climbed to his feet, waited for the police captain to unfold himself and dump the coffee pot.

Blair spotted his partner before Simon did, and motioned the bigger man to stand still. He watched Jim for a long moment, who was crouched behind a huge log, head barely looking over. Then he slid forward, as silently as he knew how until he was kneeling in the dirt next to his partner. Simon followed, not as quietly, which earned him a glare from the cop and grad student.

"Why are we here, Jim?" Blair kept his voice to a whisper.

Jim glanced over at his partner and captain, then reached out and pulled the cigar out of Simons mouth and rolled the tip in the dirt.

"She can smell this." He handed it back to his captain who was staring at his friend, mouth still open. "Watch, and be quiet."

Blair eased his head over the log and finally focused through the camouflaging leaves, seeing the dark entrance to the hidden lair. The wounded cougar was lying at the entrance, face buried in the bloody remains of a rabbit. Her nose and chin were coated with fresh blood. Blair imagined he could hear the bones crack as the cougar bit into the meal. Her front paws held the animal securely as she ripped it to pieces.

Blair looked from Jim to Simon and back to the feline. He swallowed hard as the cat looked up, bloody face surveying the terrain, before going back to her meal. Jim touched his arm, pointed back the way they came, and then began to crawl away from the concealing log. The friends left the cat in peace, remaining silent until Jim got to his feet and led them toward camp again.

"I think she'll be all right. She's limping but she put weight on the leg when she left the lair this morning."

"Hunting, huh? What happened to survival of the fittest?" Blair put his hand on his partner's shoulder, leaving it there as they walked.

Jim shrugged. 

Simon grinned at his detective. "Always the guardian, hey Jim? Can't even let a wild animal be injured on your watch." He slapped Ellison on the back with a chuckle. "So, besides the rabbit, what did you bring her?"

Jim relayed the story of his hunting trip, finishing up as the tents came into view. "But I never got my coffee or breakfast this morning."

"I think we can manage to feed the Great White Hunter, dont you, Simon?"

Simon nodded and patted Jim on the shoulder again. "'Ill make coffee. Sandburg, didn't you pack in stuff for breakfast?"

Jim settled down on the log next to the fire and watched as his friend and lover prepared the meal and coffee. He relaxed in the morning air and took a deep breath, letting his senses fly loose like he could never do in the city. 

Yes, camping was definitely a good idea.

* * *

End Cry For Help.


End file.
